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Goin' To The Lake: Duluth (Day 1)

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- All summer long, we're embracing lake life across Minnesota and western Wisconsin -- but not every lake town is a small town.

Matt Brickman and Jason DeRusha are enjoying the north shore up in Duluth for this week's edition of Goin' To The Lake!

Welcome To Duluth

Duluth is just a couple hours north of the Twin Cities. Any Minnesotan who's headed there knows the view from the top of the hill looking down at the city and Lake Superior. It's been perfect weather so far this week to enjoy the views!

One big attraction for the people who live up here is all the outdoor activities available. You can see they're surrounded by natural beauty, so it makes sense to get out and enjoy it. One great way to get out and enjoy Duluth is the Lake Walk -- a roughly four-mile path along Lake Superior from Canal Park to the east side of town. You can walk, run, bike and roller blade. It's hard to beat the view along the entire stretch!

The William A. Irvin

From Duluth, you can get to places all over the Great Lakes by boat -- that's why shipping plays such an important role here. The Iron Range has minerals the world wants. For more than 100 years, big boats like the William A. Irvin have been moving those goods.

The William A. Irvin is the flagship of United States Steel. The great boat traveled the great lakes from 1938 - 1978. Today, it sits in port, teaching visitors from all over about the importance of shipping to this city. At 610 feet, the William A. Irvin is actually small compared to today's ships.

The largest on the Great Lakes is 1013 feet and 6 inches. Couldn't be unlucky 13, so they added the extra half foot. Tours on the Irvin are $12 for adults, $8 for students and seniors. Kids under 10 get in free with a paying adult.

Park Point Beach

Just beyond Duluth's lift bridge near Canal Park is one of the coolest beaches in the Midwest.

The weather this week is perfect to check out Park Point Beach, which stretches seven miles from Canal Park out into Lake Superior. The Beach House was built in the 1930s as a WPA project. When the weather is calm, warm and sunny, it's the place to be in Duluth.

Glensheen Mansion

One of the main attractions in Duluth is Glensheen Mansion. It's welcomed visitors since the late 1970s, but these days, people are coming for different reasons than they used to.

Glensheen mansion was built between 1905 and 1909 on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth. The total cost was $854,000, or about $22 million today. From the gardens overlooking the lake to the 27,000-square foot, 39-room main house, almost everything at Glensheen is original -- donated by the Congdon family to the University of Minnesota.

Duluth's Canal Park

Canal Park is a must-see Duluth destination. It's right on Lake Superior, and it has tons of bars and restaurants, great shops -- and it's all walkable.

You could spend a couple days just in Canal Park and enjoy your time in Duluth. There are plenty of hotel rooms available, and most of them are right on the water.

Spirit Mountain's Adventure Park

One thing that's constant when you talk to people who live or vacation in Duluth is the need to get outside and play.

They are surrounded by natural beauty, and they embrace it all-year long.

Just up the hill from Duluth is Spirit Mountain. It's known for its downhill skiing, but there's plenty to do there in the summer.

Jason and Matt hit up Adventure Park Thursday, which features the Timber Twister -- which sent the guys soaring through the trees above Duluth.

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